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Human Ecosystem & Technological Change
Drugs should not be legalized So dislike the system because of the enormous amount of resources that it requires, while others may have a friend or relative that has been criminalized for being involved with drugs. Whatever the reasoning may be, it was estimated that over seventy-five percent of the American public view the war on drugs policy as a failure (Head, N.d.). Although many view the war on drugs as a failure, it does not necessarily follow that drug use should be legalized as an alternative.
Drug policy in the United States has been on the forefront of polarizing issues in the political spectrum. The United States has been regulating and criminalizing the use of drugs for roughly a century and in the last few generations these efforts have culminated in what has been referred to as a "war" on drugs. This war has resulted in a large number of American citizens being incarcerated for the involvement in the drug trade or for their own personal drug use. In one report, the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that roughly fifty-five percent of federal prisoners are incarcerated due to drug-related crimes and spends about twenty-two billion dollars annually of this effort (Head, N.d.). Whether you are for, or against, drug criminalization and the war on drugs, one of the factors that makes this such a polarizing debate is the sheer amount of resources that the current system requires. This analysis will briefly introduce both sides of the argument and then conclude that, although drug legalization might have some specific benefits, the overall impact on public...
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Yet many argue exactly this case. They point to the fact that drugs have played a role in virtually every advanced civilization that has ever been in existence throughout the course of history. Given the prevalence of drugs in society, there is virtually no chance of regulating or criminalizing the drug problem to the extent that it could represent an effective cure for the situation. Therefore, some argue that instead of expending a massive amount of public resources to try to combat the problem there exists the opportunity to use the social phenomenon as a way to benefit society; both financially and otherwise. For instance, the…
References
Ghosh, P. (2010, October 19). The pros and cons of drug legalization in the U.S. . Retrieved from International Business Times: http://www.ibtimes.com/pros-cons-drug-legalization-us-246712
Head, T. (N.d.). Key Facts About the War on Drugs. Retrieved from Civil Liberties: http://civilliberty.about.com/od/drugpolicy/p/War-on-Drugs-Facts.htm
Lowy, J. (2014, September 1). Driving stoned? States prep for marijuana DUI. Retrieved from The Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0901/Driving-stoned-States-prep-for-marijuana-DUI
Miron, J., & Waldock, K. (2010, October 3). Making an Economic Case for Legalizing Drugs. Retrieved from CATO Institute: http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/making-economic-case-legalizing-drugs
14). Soon, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which was signed into law in 1937. Like the Harrison Act, the Marijuana Tax Act placed marijuana into the same category as the cocaine and opium drugs. It was now illegal to import marijuana into the United States (McWilliams, 1991). However, this law was ineffective in curbing marijuana use (Brecher, 1986, p. 14). By the early 1940s narcotic addiction had significantly reduced
Drug Policies the Legacy of Outdated Moral Values and Moral Panics A disinterested alien observer who came down to the planet Earth and saw the difference in how legal drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes were treated under the law when compared to illegal drugs would be hard pressed to explain the differential treatment. After all, alcohol and cigarettes cause or contribute to far more deaths, injuries, health problems, and
This does reduce the quantity of illicit drugs bought and sold but, as in any other market, the shortage drives up the equilibrium price" and opportunity cost (Stonebraker 2010). Understanding the average price of illicit drugs and the rates of drug-related crime enables government policy-makers to understand the opportunity cost of drugs for both the user and the community. Research can also play a critical role in another building-block of
Drug Policies of the United States and the Netherlands Virtually every country in the world has drug prohibition and criminalizes the production and sale of cannabis, cocaine, and opiates, except for medical uses, and most countries criminalize the production and sale of other psychoactive substances, and moreover, most countries criminalize simple possession of small amounts of the prohibited substances (Levine 2002). However, no Western country and few Third World countries have
Drug Policy American Drug Policy: Marijuana Marijuana is one of the most vilified drugs in history and it very difficult to see just why this is so. The United States used to have a thriving agricultural concern that consisted of hemp (marijuana) famers producing plants for their fibers and seeds. The fibers were used in products such as rope and paper and the seeds were used to make oil which served as
Drug Abuse in America (Approximately one page) Looking at drug abuse in America, what are the most important predictive factors in drug abuse? Why does it matter and how does it inform American understanding of drug related issues in society? How does crack or methamphetamines impact the physiological, psychological, and social conditions of abusers? How would your response impact policy? Drug abuse in the United States is rampant and the country has been